Reading Newman’s The Idea of a University

Last updated on: January 24, 2020 at 11:48 am By Thomas Albert Howard

The nineteenth-century Catholic theologian John Henry Newman was recently canonized by Pope Francis. Newman is the author of many important works, but none are as relevant to Christian higher education as his The Idea of a University. In several weeks, I will lead a discussion on it. Here are a few initial thoughts, especially with an aim to contextualizing the work historically: Although perhaps more invoked than read, Newman’s The Idea of a University remains a key work for thinking... Read more

Writing My Christian History Sequence

Last updated on: January 24, 2020 at 5:24 pm By Philip Jenkins

This post is about the process of writing, and about gradually finding out what exactly you have been researching and writing through the years. The answer can surprise, even or especially me, as the author. In my time, I have written a lot of books, around thirty to date. The topics are not randomly selected, as they fall into four or so distinct categories. But for the purposes of this blog, I will trace one of those long arcs or... Read more

Simple Truth: Sex Abuse, the Amish, and the Evangelicals

Last updated on: January 21, 2020 at 10:26 pm By Kristin Du Mez

Last week, journalist Sarah McClure published an investigative report in Cosmopolitan—yes, Cosmopolitan—on the prevalence of sexual abuse among the Amish. Based on a year-long investigation, the report contains disturbing details that are difficult to stomach; I’d call it shocking if we didn’t already have a history of similar reports of abuse in Amish and Mennonite communities going back years. McClure discovered “52 official cases of Amish child sexual assault in seven states over the past two decades,” but the full... Read more

The Divorce of a Pastor’s Wife in 1860 Texas

Last updated on: January 21, 2020 at 12:25 pm By Beth Allison Barr

This is from my Anxious Bench archives. I am working hard on book chapters, but never fear I will be back soon. I wanted to post this again for two reasons. First–it is one of my favorite local history posts (that probably many of my readers haven’t seen, since it is from 2016), and I thought it was poignant given Wayne Grudem’s recent public change on his stance on divorce. He just admitted that divorce is probably okay in the case... Read more

What’s Lost with the Dying of the Mainline

Last updated on: January 20, 2020 at 10:03 pm By Chris Gehrz

Given current trends, mainline denominations may virtually disappear by the year 2050. If so, Chris hopes that the historic best of mainline Protestantism will survive, finding new expressions in a renewed church. Read more

The Decline of Us-ness: Bowling Alone and Dying Alone

Last updated on: January 19, 2020 at 7:54 pm By Philip Jenkins

The Economist just published an article that on its surface said nothing about religion or religious trends, but the implications for that topic are huge. Let me put the argument out there for discussion. The article is called “Free Exchange: Economists Grapple With Rising American Mortality” (January 9, paywalled). The main topic is “deaths of despair,” as “A growing share of middle-aged white Americans, especially those without college degrees, are dying from suicide and drug and alcohol use.” This is... Read more

Mystical Images of War

Last updated on: January 16, 2020 at 3:17 pm By Philip Jenkins

I have written a lot related to the centennial of the First World War. One of my main themes has been the stunning juxtaposition in those years of radical modernity – in the form of tanks, aircraft, gas weaponry, and mass industrial warfare – and the truly ancient religious ideas that people used to comprehend what was going on around them. The visual record of the war years is awash with images of angels and Armageddon. People spoke the language... Read more

Puritans Revisited

Last updated on: January 15, 2020 at 11:17 pm By johnturner

Nathaniel Hawthorne and Arthur Miller firmly tethered puritan to hypocrisy, self-righteousness, prudery, and the irrational execution of alleged witches. The term still resonates. It is easy for critics to apply the label puritan to evangelicals or Catholics who want to ban pornography. And it’s also common for conservatives to use the same label against progressive politicians and administrators. Many people want purer communities and a purer society, but nobody wants to be called a puritan. Does anyone want to know... Read more

The Mennonite Game and Whiteness

Last updated on: January 13, 2020 at 8:43 pm By David Swartz

Does the Mennonite Game promote a close or closed community? Read more

What Is a Heretic?

Last updated on: January 14, 2020 at 8:57 am By Chris Gehrz

What does it mean to call someone a heretic? Guest blogger Joey Cochran surveys the history of heresy — and wonders if the word now functions as anything more than "name-calling." Read more